The Stillwater
River

The Stillwater River flows for eighty miles from its origin at the small
Russky Creek down to its end at the confluence of the Flathead River just
south of Kalispell. The river flows through pretty country, primarily timber
on the upper half of the river and a mix of timber, fields and agricultural
land on the lower half. For most of it's journey, the river flows fairly
slowly through the Flathead Valley, with a few faster spots being found
near Kalispell and up near Stillwater Lake.

The river is known for its pike fishing, with fish in the twenty to
thirty pound range are not uncommon. Catching these fish involves some
stout gear. When fly fishing for these monsters, use either streamers
on a sink tip line or large spoons (spin fishing), throwing them into
the many deep pools that are found along the river, focusing on those
that are situated in backwaters or where the current is slow.

Whitefish, cutthroat trout and brook trout are also found in the river.
However, the trout are quite small, with any trout going over 10 inches
being considered a large fish.

Floating the Stillwater River presents some special problems. Except
for during high water, the current is generally slow. As a result, a
canoe is the best vessel.

A class III whitewater begins just below the
Stillwater Lake Outlet and runs for 1 mile. The river also has a number
of logjams below Lower Stillwater Lake that need to be portaged. Finally,
three fences rudely cross the entire width of the river, resulting in
some awkward portages.

The river has decent access. The upper portion of the river flows through
sections of state land. Quite a few bridges cross the river, and the
three lakes the river flows through (Duck Lake, Stillwater Lake, Lower
Stillwater Lake) also provide access. Motors are allowed on the river,
and are frequently used to traverse between these lakes.